Scottish Executive

Antisocial Behaviour etc. (Scotland) Act 2004

Patrick Harvie (Glasgow) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive whether a person subject to a closure order under the Antisocial Behaviour etc. (Scotland) Act 2004 will be considered by the local authority to be intentionally homeless.

Hugh Henry: Closure orders apply to premises, not individuals. However, the relevant local authority has the responsibility for deciding whether or not a person made homeless as a result of a closure order is intentionally homeless in the light of that person’s individual circumstances. Prior to an application for a closure order the police and the local authority should work together, especially where children or vulnerable people may be affected, to help prevent homelessness. The court is also required, when deciding whether or not to make an order, to consider the ability of the person(s) to find alternative accommodation and the vulnerability of any such person(s).

Buildings

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how it will deliver its policy priority of "protecting and developing our cultural heritage and promoting a high quality built environment" and what the timescale is for achieving this policy.

Ms Patricia Ferguson: From April 2005, Architecture and Design Scotland will become the nation’s champion for good architecture and design in the built environment, taking over and expanding the present activities of the Royal Fine Art Commission for Scotland. The aim of Architecture and Design Scotland will be to inspire higher design quality across the public and private sectors, so as to improve the overall quality of our built environment.

  Historic Scotland is responsible for safeguarding the nation’s historic built environment, and the Executive’s investment in Historic Scotland will increase from £39.6 million in 2004-05 to £47.7 million in 2007-08. Part of this increased funding will be used to boost Historic Scotland’s spending on Historic Building Repair Grants, which support the repair of Scotland’s most important historic buildings and areas, and the enhancement of the quality of Scotland’s historic city centres.

Central Heating Programme

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to amend its central heating installation programme, in order to take into account the need for emergency replacements so that elderly people are not without heating for five months over the winter period.

Malcolm Chisholm: Waiting times, along with all other aspects of the customer service provided by Eaga, who manage the contract on behalf of the Scottish Executive, are kept under constant review. The popularity of the programme inevitably means that recipients have to wait, sometimes over the winter months. Delays can be caused for a number of reasons. For example, metering and pipe connections take time to arrange and other companies have to be called in to provide them, which can take months to arrange and finalise. Nevertheless, we are determined to ensure that waiting times are kept to the minimum achievable.

Culture

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how it will deliver its policy priority of "fostering an environment in which creativity and the creative industries can flourish" and what its timetable is for achieving this policy.

Ms Patricia Ferguson: A wide range of strategic policies are being deployed to this end across the Executive and its cultural and enterprise agencies. In addition, the Cultural Commission has creativity as a central concern and will make its recommendations to Scottish ministers in summer 2005. However, improving the climate for creativity is an activity that is not time limited but rather needs to be continuously addressed in the light of changing social, cultural, technological and economic circumstances.

Domestic Abuse

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-12289 by Cathy Jamieson on 30 November 2004, whether it intends to routinely collect statistics on the number of convictions relating to cases of domestic abuse.

Cathy Jamieson: Offence aggravator codes for domestic abuse were incorporated into the Integration of Scottish Criminal Justice Information Systems (ISCJIS) data standards in 2002. In future it will therefore be possible separately to identify convictions where such an aggravator has been recorded against the offences involved, though the availability of complete data will depend upon the rollout of ISCJIS to cover all courts and on consistent recording practices being followed by the police, procurator fiscals and the courts.

Drug Misuse

Miss Annabel Goldie (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what research into drug abuse it has commissioned and how much such research has cost in each of the last five years.

Hugh Henry: The information in the following tables summarises projects conducted in the following research areas: Drugs Misuse Research Programme; criminal justice, transport, education, information and statistics directorate, health and community care, mental health and communications and strategic research. These research projects are primarily concerned with illicit drugs and may also refer to tobacco, alcohol and prescription drugs.

  These costs include VAT where appropriate.

  Table 1 Research Relevant to Substance Misuse in the Scottish Executive 2000-2005

  

Title
Budget (£)


2000-01
 


Intervening and Drug Testing of Offenders
12,422


2000 National Prevalence Study
222,499


Recreational Drug use and Driving
129,776


Total
364,697


2001-02
 


Evaluation of the Glasgow Drug Court
35,491


An Evaluation of Drug Treatment and Testing Orders
38,309


Evaluation of the Impact of Leisure Interventions on Illicit Drug Use and Offending
20,000


The International Experience of Drug Courts
2,000


Employment and Training for Drug Users: A qualitative consultation
30,461


Treatment and Care Services for Young People with Drug Misuse Problems
44,001


Study of the Reliability and Validity of an Instrument to Measure Attitudes of Mental Health Professionals to People Who Use Drugs.
5,805


NAS and Visual Impairment in Infants of Substance Misusing Mothers.
35,460


Evaluation of Provision of Citric Acid.
5,770


Evaluation of Greater Glasgow Pharmacy Needle Exchange Data
8,200


Substance Misuse Nurses in Scotland
36,600


Effectiveness of Treatment for Drug Users - International Review of the Evidence
15,000


National Survey of Treatments for Opioid Dependents in Scotland
10,000


Effectiveness of Lifeskills Drug Education Programme: Review of International Literature
5,600


Literature Review: Support for the Families of Drug Users
6,815


Evaluation Guide on Employability Projects
3,290


Evaluation Guide on Outreach Services
1,600


2000 National Prevalence Study
24,722


Total
329,124


2002-03
 


Evaluation of the Glasgow Drug Court
25,000


Evaluation of the Fife drug court
28,059


An Evaluation of Drug Treatment and Testing Orders
38,000


Evaluation of the Impact of Leisure Interventions on Illicit Drug Use and Offending
42,684


NAS and Visual Impairment in Infants of Substance Misusing Mothers.
26,595


Evaluation of Drug Driving TV Advert
43,945


Evaluation of Provision of Citric Acid..
8,655


Evaluation of Greater Glasgow Pharmacy Needle Exchange Data
3,557


Effectiveness of Treatment for Drug Users - International Review of the Evidence
14,919


Effectiveness of Lifeskills Drug Education Programme: Review of International Literature
8,400


Integrated Drug Service Monitoring and Effectiveness
5,926


Literature Review: Support for the Families of Drug Users
11,894


Treatment and Care Services for Young People with Drug Misuse Problems
22,000


National Survey of Treatments for Opioid Dependents in Scotland
3,078


An Exploration of the Role of Substance Misuse Nurses in Scotland
27,500


Evaluation of the Scottish Prison Service Transitional Care Arrangements
55,000


Examining the Injecting Preparation Practices of Injecting Drug Users (IDUS) in Scotland
25,000


Evaluation of Projects Funded by Lloyds TSB Foundation Partnership Drugs Initiative
24,240


Extended Prevalence Study
44,792


Total
459,244


2003-04
 


Drugs and Alcohol Parent’s Guide Pre-Campaign Benchmarking
1,782


Drugs and Alcohol Parent’s Guide post-campaign evaluation
2,317


Drugs Misuse Post-Campaign Evaluation
30,097


Evaluation of the Glasgow Drug Court
75,000


Evaluation of the Fife drug court
21,837


Evaluation of the Scottish Prison Service Transitional Care Arrangements
45,000


Examining the Injection Preparation Practices of Injecting Drug Users (IDUS) in Scotland
44,655


Evaluation of Projects Funded by Lloyds TSB Foundation Partnership Drugs Initiative
48,480


An Exploration of the Role of Substance Misuse Nurses in Scotland
20,000


Process Evaluation of an HCV Peer Education Intervention Project in Greater Glasgow
20,000


Integrated Drug Service Monitoring and Effectiveness
4,445


Evaluation of the First Year of Operation of the North and North East Community Addiction Teams (CATs) in Glasgow
12,500


Study of the Reliability and Validity of an Instrument to Measure Attitudes of Mental Health Professionals to People Who Use Drugs.
8,708


Safety, Risks and Outcomes from the use of Injecting Paraphernalia
30,000


Services for People with Co-Morbid Mental Health and Substance Use Problems
25,000


National Investigation into Drug-Related Deaths in Scotland, 2003
64,506


Evaluation of the Lord Advocate's Guidance on the Distribution of Sterile Needles and Syringes to IDUs
20,000


Extended Prevalence Study
4,976


2003 National Prevalence Study
74,763


Totals
554,066


2004-05
 


Contribution to the Research Programme of the Robertson Trust
33,500


Drug Treatment and Testing Orders: A Reconviction Study 
8,493


Development of a Drugs and Alcohol Toolkit
28,846


Drugs Communications: Developmental and Creative Research
55,225


An Exploration of the Role of Substance Misuse Nurses in Scotland
27,516


Evaluation of the Fife drug court
75,878


Evaluation of the First Year of Operation of the North and North East Community Addiction Teams (CATs) in Glasgow
12,500


Evaluation of the Glasgow Drug Court 
96,024


Evaluation of the Incite Pilot Service for Psychostimulant Drug Users
11,661


Evaluation of the Scottish Prison Service Transitional Care Arrangements 
20,000


Evaluation of the Lord Advocate's Guidance on the Distribution of Sterile Needles and Syringes to IDUs
30,000


Evaluation of Projects Funded by Lloyds TSB Foundation Partnership Drugs Initiative
48,480


Low Level Drugs Markets - Enforcement Pillar
21,927


National Investigation into Drug-Related Deaths in Scotland, 2003
120,011


Neo Natal Abstinence Syndrome
26,595


Safety, Risks and Outcomes from the Use of Injecting Paraphernalia
20,000


Services for People with Co-Morbid Mental Health and Substance Use Problems
35,000


2003 National Prevalence Study**
159,525


Total
831,181



  Note: *For financial year 2004-2005, the total includes monies committed but not yet necessarily paid.

  Table 2 Research Relevant to Substance Misuse but which is not Solely Concerned with Illicit Drugs.

  

Title
Budget
(£)


2000-01
 


Scottish Schools Adolescent Lifestyle and Substance Use**
109,275


2001-02
 


Scottish Crime Survey (includes a self-completion drug module)**
330,471


Scottish Schools Adolescent Lifestyle and Substance Use**
195,744


2002-03
Budget


Edinburgh Study of Youth Transitions and Crime*
18,500


Mental Health of Looked After Children**
65,100


Scottish Schools Adolescent Lifestyle and Substance Use**
168,418


2003-04
 


Edinburgh Study of Youth Transitions and Crime*
35,000


Scottish Crime Survey (includes a self-completion drug module)**
473,525


Scottish Schools Adolescent Lifestyle and Substance Use**
180,346


Mental Health of Looked After Children**
41,400


2004-05
 


Edinburgh Study of Youth Transitions and Crime*
43,000 


Scottish Crime Survey (includes a self-completion drug module)**
414,930


Scottish Schools Adolescent Lifestyle and Substance Use**
104,045


Mental Health of Looked After Children**
33,700



  Notes:

  *Contribution from the Drugs Misuse Research Programme. This is not the total budget for this work.

  **Budget for the whole project. This does not represent the total spent on substance misuse issues as these are not costed separately.

Economy

Mr Bruce McFee (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made to Her Majesty's Government regarding the effects of rising energy prices on the Scottish economy.

Mr Jim Wallace: Energy prices are determined by UK and world markets. The Scottish Executive has a broad range of energy efficiency initiatives in place which help the business, public and domestic sectors to reduce their energy consumption and hence their energy costs.

Economy

Mr Bruce McFee (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made to Her Majesty's Government regarding the impact of rising energy prices on the manufacturing sector of Scottish industry.

Mr Jim Wallace: Energy prices are determined by UK and world markets. The Scottish Executive has a broad range of energy efficiency initiatives in place which assist businesses to reduce their energy consumption, and hence their energy costs.

Education

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many children enrolled in primary 1 in each of the last five years.

Peter Peacock: The information requested can be found in Table 2.3 of the Statistical Bulletin Pupils in Scotland 2003 which is available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 33356). The bulletin can also be accessed at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/stats/bulletins/00350-00.asp .

Employment

Mr Bruce McFee (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many jobs will be safeguarded at IBM Greenock as a result of the offer of a £5 million Regional Selective Assistance grant announced on 28 October 2004.

Mr Bruce McFee (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many new jobs will be created at IBM Greenock as a result of the offer of a £5 million Regional Selective Assistance grant announced on 28 October 2004.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Regional Selective Assistance (RSA) offer £5.16 million is focussed on helping the company grow the service side of its business. The grant will be paid in instalments as new jobs are created and capital expenditure targets are met. The company estimates that the project, when complete, will lead to the creation of 860 new jobs. There is no safeguarding element to this RSA offer.

Enterprise

Jim Mather (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to page 15 of A Smart, Successful Scotland – Strategic direction to the Enterprise Networks and an enterprise strategy for Scotland, what the business start-up level has been in each of the last five years and what information it has on the equivalent start-up rates for (a) each region of the United Kingdom and (b) the United Kingdom as a whole.

Mr Jim Wallace: The measurement of the business start-up rate, as referred to in Smart Successful Scotland, is based on the VAT Registration Rate per 10,000 of the adult population, aged 16 and over. This information for Scotland, the UK and other UK regions is reported in Table 1.

  Table 1 - VAT Registration Rates per 10,000 of the Adult Population, Aged 16 and Over

  

Region/Country
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003


United Kingdom
38
38
36
37
40


North East
21
21
20
21
23


North West
32
32
32
32
35


Yorkshire and Humberside
30
30
29
31
34


East Midlands
34
34
33
35
37


West Midlands
35
34
33
34
37


East of England
40
41
38
41
42


London
65
60
57
56
62


South East
45
44
42
44
47


South West
39
39
36
38
40


Wales
26
27
26
27
29


Scotland
28
28
27
27
29


Northern Ireland
28
26
27
27
29



  Sources: Mid-year population figures from General Register Office for Scotland, Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency, the Office of National Statistics and VAT registration data from the Small Business Service.

Enterprise

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what representations have been made to the Department for Trade and Industry regarding the current review of the newspaper and magazine supply chain in the United Kingdom and whether it will publish details of any such representations.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the UK Government on a wide range of issues including the current review of the newspaper and magazine supply chain. Representations between the Scottish Executive and the UK Government are conducted on a confidential basis.

Food

Frances Curran (West of Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to the Department for Trade and Industry on strengthening the Supermarket Code of Practice in Scotland in order to provide protection for farmers, retailers, processors and the food service sector.

Ross Finnie: The Supermarket Code of Practice is currently the subject of an audit by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT). Since the OFT is independent of ministers, it would be inappropriate for Scottish ministers to have input before the results become available. Although a reserved matter, Scottish ministers take an interest in competition issues and will make their views known about the audit findings once they become available.

Food

Frances Curran (West of Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to the Department for Trade and Industry on establishing an independent body to enforce the Supermarket Code of Practice in Scotland in order to provide protection for farmers, retailers, processors and the food service sector.

Ross Finnie: Competition is a reserved matter. The Supermarket Code of Practice is currently the subject of an audit by the Office of Fair Trading, which is independent of ministers. It would therefore be inappropriate to propose specific changes before the results of the audit become available. Scottish ministers will make their views known about the audit findings once they become available.

Food

Frances Curran (West of Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to the Department for Trade and Industry on extending the Supermarket Code of Practice to cover the whole supply chain, including farmers, retailers, processors and the food service sector.

Ross Finnie: Competition is a reserved matter. The Supermarket Code of Practice is currently the subject of an audit by the Office of Fair Trading, which is independent of ministers. It would therefore be inappropriate to propose extensions to the code before the results of the audit become available. Scottish ministers will make their views known about the audit findings once they become available.

Health

Tricia Marwick (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average waiting times are for the provision of wheelchairs, broken down by NHS board area.

Rhona Brankin: I refer the member to question S2W-11654 answered on 8 November 2004 which asked a similar question about the children’s wheelchair service. The answer is available on the Parliament’s website, the search for which can be found at:

  http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Health

Mr Bruce McFee (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has received from the British In Vitro Diagnostics Association.

Rhona Brankin: The Scottish Executive has received no representations from the British In Vitro Diagnostics Association.

Health

Mr David Davidson (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will respond to requests by Coeliac UK for coeliac patient care to be moved into the primary care sector to make more use of community pharmacists and repeat prescriptions.

Mr Andy Kerr: We have no record of representations from Coeliac UK. The Primary Care Sector including community pharmacy is already involved in providing care to Coeliac patients. Prescribing is a matter for the responsible medical practitioners.

Health

Mr David Davidson (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the savings expected in health care following the publication of Building a Better Scotland: Efficient Government – Securing Efficiency, Effectiveness and Productivity .

Mr Andy Kerr: The information requested is given on page 25 of Building a Better Scotland: Efficient Government – Securing Efficiency, Effectiveness and Productivity published by the Scottish Executive in 2004 a copy of which is available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 34543).

Health

Mr Stewart Maxwell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-11403 by Rhona Brankin on 29 November 2004, what proportion of the Health Improvement Fund (HIF) was directed to NHS boards; how the remainder of the funds from Scotland’s share of tobacco tax which was used under the HIF was allocated; whether the proportion of the HIF which is being directly incorporated into NHS board main allocations is ring-fenced for any specific purpose, and whether it will ensure that the funding being directly incorporated into NHS board main allocations is not used for salaries.

Rhona Brankin: £19 million of the £26 million per annum Health Improvement Fund was directed to NHS boards, including the then Health Education Board for Scotland (now NHS Health Scotland). The balance was invested through a number of national initiatives, such as the establishment of the Public Health Institute for Scotland (now also part of NHS Health Scotland), the provision of toothbrushes/toothpaste for pre-school children, enhancing flu surveillance and raising awareness of the need for immunisation and the early work of both the physical activity and sexual health task forces.

  Health Improvement money allocated to NHS boards is no longer ring-fenced but boards are expected to maintain and increase their support for health improvement as part of their continuing commitment to being public health organisations.

  A number of NHS boards have used health improvement monies to fund additional public health posts. The department has no plans to interfere with any local decisions.

Health

Jim Mather (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how it will respond to any costs, stress, impact on earnings potential and inconvenience affecting people requiring haemodialysis who have to travel from locations such as Rothesay and Oban to central belt hospitals to receive treatment and whether it will make provision for such services to be closer to the patients.

Mr Andy Kerr: These issues are highlighted in NHS Quality Improvement Scotland’s report on its review of its standards for adult renal services, which calls for innovative and flexible options to be available to patients on dialysis in remote and rural areas. NHS boards are working to address this point, in particular by expanding the number of satellite dialysis units throughout Scotland which will bring services closer to patients .  The re-imbursement of expenses to patients who have to travel considerable distances to dialyse is a matter for the NHS board concerned.

Health

Jim Mather (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to improve the availability of renal dialysis facilities to patients in the Highlands and Islands.

Mr Andy Kerr: The recommendations in the NHS Quality Improvement Scotland report Adult Renal Services: National Overview, and its associated local reports contain important recommendations to NHS boards about ways in which the availability of renal dialysis facilities can be improved, as well as examples of local initiatives designed to help. The Centre for Change and Innovation has provided funding to the Scottish Ambulance Service to improve the level of service to renal patients, of which £50,000 has been allocated to Highland Region. Satellite renal units exist in Caithness and Shetland, and a unit is planned in Fort William. Plans are also under discussion for the Western Isles.

Health

Jim Mather (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is a maximum journey travel time for patients from remote and rural locations who are required to travel significant distances to secure renal dialysis treatment.

Mr Andy Kerr: The NHS Quality Improvement Scotland standards for renal services include as a desirable criterion "Within constraints of population density and geography, a unit is available within half an hour’s travelling time for patients." This is intended to ensure that renal units are considering the possibility of satellite units where appropriate, to minimise travelling times. The NHS QIS report, Adult Renal Services: National  Overview recognised that the impact of travelling is greatest in remote and rural areas, but noted that many units were developing plans for more satellite dialysis units.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to increase the number of (a) pain specialists, (b) pain clinics and (c) multi-disciplinary care centres.

Mr Andy Kerr: The Executive adopts an integrated approach to workforce planning and development at local, regional and national levels rather than singling out individual specialisms. We are committed to increasing the capacity of the NHSScotland workforce in specific specialties as necessary.

  The planning of pain clinics and care centres is primarily a matter for NHS boards. For information on what the Executive plans to do to encourage NHS boards to develop pain services, I refer the member to her recent question S2W-12605 answered on 10 December 2004. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Health and Safety

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what regulations are in place for the mandatory installation of thermostatic mixing valves; which types of buildings must comply with such regulations; when such regulations come into force, and how many properties have had to comply with such regulations since their introduction.

Johann Lamont: I have asked Dr Paul Stollard, Chief Executive of the Scottish Building Standards Agency, to answer. His response is as follows:

  There are no regulations, at present, which cover the mandatory installation of thermostatic mixing valves.

Health and Safety

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any guidance is issued to public sector workers about exposure to environmental tobacco smoke when they make home visits to patients or clients who smoke.

Rhona Brankin: Guidelines have been made available to NHS boards and local authorities to assist them in developing and implementing comprehensive workplace tobacco policies. It is for individual authorities to set their own policy in consultation with staff and other key interests to ensure that staff are protected from the health risks of environmental tobacco smoke wherever they work.

Hospital-Acquired Infection

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many cases of MRSA there have been in each NHS board in each year since 1999.

Mr Andy Kerr: A national mandatory hospital infection surveillance system was introduced in 2001 to monitor MRSA blood infections. The surveillance is operated by Health Protection Scotland (formerly Scottish Centre for Infection and Environmental Health) and it produces quarterly reports, see www.show.scot.nhs.uk/scieh/ .

Hospital-Acquired Infection

Mr David Davidson (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has carried out any evaluation of the product, Envirocare, regarding its effectiveness in combating MRSA infections in hospitals and medical premises.

Mr Andy Kerr: Combating health care associated infection, including MRSA is a major priority for the Executive and the NHS and I am keen to encourage any development in that area.

  Many products are offered as being of value in the control of infection and many are in use.

  However, the most effective action is hand washing and good cleaning practices to which the National Cleaning Specification applies.

Housing

Richard Lochhead (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many houses each local authority has purchased privately, and at what cost, in order to meet obligations under homelessness legislation.

Malcolm Chisholm: The information requested is not held centrally.

  We do collect information on the number of dwellings purchased by each local authority from the private sector, and this is shown in the table below for 2003 and for the first half of 2004.

  

 
2003
2004 (Q1 and Q2)


Purchased for Demolition
Purchased for Other Purpose
Total Acquired
Purchased for Demolition
Purchased for Other Purpose
Total Acquired


Scotland
49
3
52
16
18
34


Aberdeen City
0
1
1
0
2
2


Aberdeenshire
0
0
0
0
0
0


Angus
0
0
0
0
0
0


Argyll and Bute
0
0
0
0
0
0


Clackmannanshire
0
0
0
0
0
0


Dumfries and Galloway
No data
No data
No data
No data
No data
No data


Dundee City
8
0
8
0(Q1 only)
0 (Q1 only)
0 (Q1 only)


East Ayrshire
0
0
0
1
0
1


East Dunbartonshire
0
1
1
0
1
1


East Lothian
0
0
0
0
7
7


East Renfrewshire
0
0
0
0
0
0


Edinburgh, City of
0
0
0
No data
No data
No data


Eilean Siar
0
0
0
0(Q1 only)
2(Q1only)
2(Q1 only)


Falkirk
Not known
Not known
Not known
Not known
Not known
Not known


Fife
10
0
10
6
1
7


Glasgow City
0
0
0
0
0
0


Highland
0
0
0
0
1
1


Inverclyde
0
0
0
0
0
0


Midlothian
0
1
1
0(Q1 only)
0 (Q1only)
0(Q1 only)


Moray
0
0
0
1
1
2


North Ayrshire
0
0
0
0
0
0


North Lanarkshire
0
0
0
0
3
3


Orkney
0
0
0
0
0
0


Perth and Kinross
0
0
0
0
0
0


Renfrewshire
28
0
28
6
0
6


Scottish Borders, The
0
0
0
0
0
0


Shetland
0
0
0
0
0
0


South Ayrshire
0
0
0
0
0
0


South Lanarkshire
0
0
0
0
0
0


Stirling
0
0
0
0
0
0


West Dunbartonshire
3
0
3
2
0
2


West Lothian
0
0
0
0
0
0

Justice

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish an updated statistical bulletin on motor vehicle offences and what the reasons are for its position on the matter, and why there has been no publication of the bulletin since 2000.

Cathy Jamieson: The statistical bulletin on motor vehicle offences was discontinued after publication of the figures for 2000. Since then, the information involved has been incorporated into the annual statistical bulletin on criminal proceedings in Scottish courts. This provides a more comprehensive statistical overview in a single source document and reduces publication overheads. The next edition of the criminal proceedings bulletin, which will include summary data on motor vehicle offences for 2003, is currently planned for publication in February 2005.

Local Government

David McLetchie (Edinburgh Pentlands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the severance pay for councillors provided for by Section 12 of the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004 will be exempt from income tax in accordance with the rules governing termination payments or any other provision in the tax code.

Tom McCabe: Detailed arrangements for the severance scheme will be considered by the Scottish Local Authorities Remuneration Committee which will be established under the provisions of the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004. Ministers will take decisions about the precise detail of the scheme in light of that committee’s advice.

Medical Students

Richard Lochhead (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many, and what percentage of, medical graduates left Scotland for their first post in each of the last three years, broken down by medical school and category of graduate.

Mr Andy Kerr: The following table shows the destination of graduates from Scottish Medical Schools taking up their first NHS appointments as Pre-Registration House Officers (PRHOs) in each of the last three years. It is not possible from this data to differentiate between type or category of medical graduate.

  The number of students who graduate in any given year will fluctuate due to factors such as variables within university selection procedures, drop-out rates and the proportion of graduating students who have taken an intercalated degree mid-way through their undergraduate medical education. There are currently 876 students in their final clinical year in Scottish medical schools.

  Graduates of Scottish Medical Schools Taking up PRHO Posts as at 30 September

  

Taking up PRHO Posts in:
2002
2003
2004


No
%
No
%
No
%


Scotland
748
93.5
721
91.5
644
88.5


England and Wales
32
4
48
6
57
8


Northern Ireland
4
0.5
6
1
9
1


In HM Forces
0
-
1
-
1
-


Overseas
5
0.5
3
0.5
9
1


Not Known
12
1.5
6
1
4
0.5


Post not taken up
0
0
3
0.5
3
0.5


Total
801
 
788
 
727
 



  Source: NHS Education for Scotland.

  Note: 1. Percentage totals have been rounded to nearest 0.5% and may therefore not add up to 100.

NHS 24

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any GPs have sought to opt out of NHS 24 and, if so, what the response has been.

Mr Andy Kerr: Information on the number of GPs who use NHS 24 is not held centrally.

  Under the terms of the new General Medical Services contract, GPs can transfer their responsibility for providing out-of-hours services to NHS boards. In such circumstances, boards have until 31 December 2004 to put in place alternative out-of-hours arrangements which must meet mandatory accredited standards to ensure a safe and quality service for patients. Under these new arrangements NHS boards are using NHS 24 to triage initial calls.

  GPs who decide not to transfer their out-of-hours responsibility will have their own arrangements in place which may or may not involve NHS 24 to triage calls.

NHS 24

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether NHS 24 staff responding to calls from patients are entitled to refuse to telephone a local GP and, if so, under what circumstances.

Mr Andy Kerr: NHS 24 staff will pass a caller’s details to the relevant local out-of-hours services when it is assessed that the patient’s needs will be met most appropriately by contact with a GP. The out-of-hours service will in turn pass the call to the GP covering the local area.

  If the clinical presentation of the symptoms does not require referral, but the patient insists on being referred to a GP, NHS 24 staff will ask the local out of hours service to call the patient back.

NHS 24

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfied that the service provided by NHS 24 is adequate and what the reasons are for its position on the matter.

Mr Andy Kerr: Now fully operational, NHS 24 has achieved its key business plan objective of providing ready access to health care assessments, advice and information for the whole population of Scotland. In addition NHS 24 is providing a vital call handling service for patients who may require a GP out of hours at a time when many GPs are exercising their right to opt out of providing such services. The Executive is continuing to monitor the performance of the organisation. Early findings from the Scottish Executive's independent evaluation of NHS 24 demonstrates a rise in patient satisfaction.

NHS 24

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether personnel have been leaving NHS 24 and, if so, how many nurses have left in each of the last 12 months.

Mr Andy Kerr: The table below indicates the number of nurses who have left and joined NHS 24 over the past 12 months. A number of the nurses who have left have done so to take up promoted posts in other parts of the NHS and to utilise the new skills they have learned with NHS 24 in relation to nurse triage. The number of nurses joining the organisation has been phased to match the planned roll-out of the service and is continuing.

  

Month
Left
Started


December 2003
10
-


January 2004
8
-


February
10
31


March
7
29


April
5
-


May
7
33


June
5
-


July
11
11


August
12
36


September
14
-


October
7
9


November
11
44


Totals
107*
193



  Note: *Of these 14 have since returned to NHS 24.

NHS Boards

Mr David Davidson (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many board places were lost when NHS trusts were incorporated into NHS boards, broken down by NHS board.

Mr Andy Kerr: The following table sets out the membership before and after the transition to single system working on 1 April 2004. The rationale behind the dissolution of NHS trusts and the introduction of single system NHS boards was that there were too many separate statutory NHSScotland organisations planning and providing health services. It was therefore intended that this reduction in the numbers of health bodies would lead to more streamlined operations and better use of resources rather than a significant decrease in the numbers of non-executive board members.

  


Board
Before 1 April 2004
From 1 April 2004


*Number of NHS Board Members (including Trust Chairs)
Number of
Trust Members+
Total Number of NHS Board and NHS Trust Members+
Number of NHS Board
Members
Positions Lost


Argyll and Clyde
14 (3)
6
20
17
3


Ayrshire and Arran
11 (2)
4
15
15
0


Borders#
9 (2)
4
13
11
2


Dumfries and Galloway#
9 (2)
4
13
10
3


Fife
9 (2)
4
13
13
0


Forth Valley
11 (2)
4
15
13
2


Grampian
12 (2)
4
16
15
1


Greater Glasgow
16 (4)
8
24
22
2


Highland
9 (2)
4
13
13
0


Lanarkshire
10 (2)
4
14
13
1


Lothian 
14 (3)
6
20
20
0


Tayside
12 (2)
4
16
16
0




  Notes:

  *This number includes each Trust Chair (in brackets) who sat on the board as an ex-officio member.

  +Excluding Trust Chairs who have already been included in the overall number as part of the Board Membership (column 2).

  #Both Borders and Dumfries and Galloway NHS boards moved to single-system with effect from 1 April 2003.

NHS Staff

Mr David Davidson (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many jobs will be lost within the NHS in (a) administration, (b) estates management, (c) health promotion, (d) non-clinical staffing areas in hospitals such as portering, (e) the ambulance service, (f) NHS 24 and (g) its Health Department following the publication of Building a Better Scotland: Efficient Government – Securing Efficiency, Effectiveness and Productivity .

Mr Andy Kerr: Building a Better Scotland: Efficient Government – Securing Efficiency, Effectiveness and Productivity does not contain any targets for job reductions. Any job changes resulting from efficiency measures will not be known until detailed projects plans have been drawn up for efficiency projects and the impact on jobs properly assessed.

NHS Staff

Mr David Davidson (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to support NHS boards in providing in-service continuing professional development for all clinical staff.

Mr Andy Kerr: Partnership for Care sets out our commitment to develop an entitlement to Continual Professional Development (CPD) for all staff.

  NHS boards also need to work in partnership with staff to ensure that they are supported and encouraged to develop and maintain their skills. In 2002-03 and 2003-04, as part of the Facing the Future initiative, the Scottish Executive allocated £1.75 million to NHS boards to be used in addition to existing CPD funding. So far in 2004-05, £1 million has been released to NHS boards for additional CPD.

National Health Service

Carolyn Leckie (Central Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-11167 by Mr Andy Kerr on 8 November 2004, what discussions it has had with, and communications it has received from, the Health and Safety Executive regarding Glasgow Royal Infirmary.

Mr Andy Kerr: Improving the cleanliness of hospitals and combating the occurrence of health care associated infection is a key priority for the Executive and for the NHS in Scotland.

  We have regular discussions with the Health and Safety Executive as part of a number of initiatives that have been put in place to tackle the problem. There have been no discussions or communications specifically regarding the Glasgow Royal Infirmary.

National Health Service

Mr David Davidson (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive under what circumstances treatment would be judged as being of a (a) low clinical priority and (b) highly specialised nature, as referred to in Availability Status Codes 3 and 4 of Managing Waiting Times: A Good Practice Guide .

Mr Andy Kerr: National guidance on the use of Availability Status Codes (formerly Guarantee Exception Codes) has been in place since their introduction in 1992. Decisions on the application of Availability Status Codes rest with NHS boards and the use of particular designations is at their discretion.

  The designation of Availability Status Code 3 (low clinical priority) is a matter of clinical assessment. Patients given an Availability Status Code 3 will typically include those awaiting tattoo removal, reverse vasectomy and cosmetic surgery. The use of Availability Status Code 4 (highly specialised treatment) in practice would tend to mean that only a very small number of specialists in the country are able to carry out the particular procedure. Examples may include hip resurfacing and certain types of back surgery.

New Roads and Street Act 1991

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2O-4240 by Mrs Elish Angiolini regarding the four prosecutions under the New Roads and Street Act 1991, what the nature and location of each offence was; whether convictions were obtained in each case and, if so, what sentence was imposed.

Mrs Elish Angiolini QC: Of the four cases in which criminal proceedings were taken under the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991 between 2002 and 2004, three were for contraventions of section 38 (1) (which relates to refusal to pay a toll) and one was for a contravention of section 124 (1) (a) & (b) (which relates to failure to ensure adequate guarding or lighting around road works).

  The location of the three offences under section 38(1) of the act was the Skye Bridge and all three cases involve allegations that the accused deliberately refused to pay the toll on the bridge. In one case the accused was found guilty and was fined £50. One case has been marked "no further proceedings" by the Procurator Fiscal and the remaining case has been continued without plea until 20 December 2004 at Dingwall Sheriff Court.

  The case involving a contravention of section 124 of the act was heard at Banff Sheriff Court and related to an allegation of inadequate use of warning signs around a section of the A98 road under redevelopment. The accused pled guilty and was fined £400.

Non-Departmental Public Bodies

Mr David Davidson (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to reduce further the number of health based non-departmental public bodies.

Mr Andy Kerr: The numbers of health based public bodies are routinely checked to determine their continuous relevance and effectiveness. The efficient government criteria set out in the publication Building a Better Scotland provides the catalyst for these on-going checks.

Organ Retention

Mr Stewart Maxwell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what delay would be incurred by introducing a bill on organ retention and transplantation separately from the Health Service (Miscellaneous Provisions) Scotland Bill.

Mr Andy Kerr: I have given undertakings to the families affected by past post-mortem practice that we will do everything we can to get this legislation through all its stages with minimum delay.

Parliamentary Questions

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will give a substantive answer to question S2W-11019 lodged on 29 September 2004.

Cathy Jamieson: S2W-11019 was answered on 1 December 2004.

People with Disabilities

Colin Fox (Lothians) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to reduce the support it gives people with disabilities through home improvement grants.

Malcolm Chisholm: Housing Improvement Grants to assist owners who need support to improve or repair or adapt their home are the responsibility of local authorities. The Scottish Executive provides funding to local authorities for this and other purposes through the Private Sector Housing Grant. In 2004-05 the total funding is £70 million. In 2005-06 it will rise to £72 million. How this funding is allocated is a matter for the local authorities.

Police

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what projections it has of the number of police officers who will retire in (a) 2005, (b) 2006 and (c) 2007.

Cathy Jamieson: The estimated number of officers expected by the eight Scottish police forces to retire over the next three years (excluding any retirements on the grounds of ill-health) are as follows:

  

2005-06
567


2006-07
489


2007-08
451

Police

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what projections it has of the number of police officers whom it intends to recruit in (a) 2005, (b) 2006 and (c) 2007.

Cathy Jamieson: The recruitment and deployment of police officers is an operational matter for individual chief constables.

Prison Service

Colin Fox (Lothians) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether staff turnover rates at HM Prison Kilmarnock remain at three times the average for the publicly-owned estate.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  Staffing issues are a matter for Kilmarnock Prison Services Ltd. The Scottish Prison Service does not hold this information.

Prison Service

Colin Fox (Lothians) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the breakdown is of the basic components of its annual cost per prisoner place of £33,800, including food provision, building programmes, staff costs, and other costs.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:

  A breakdown of the Scottish Prison Service expenditure is available from the SPS Annual Report and Accounts 2003-04, a copy of which is available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 34075) or via the Scottish Prison Service website:

  http://www.sps.gov.uk/keydocs/reports/2003-04.

  The information is provided in the Agency Operating Cost Statement and Notes 2 to 5 and 23 to the Accounts.

Prison Service

Colin Fox (Lothians) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will decide whether both new prisons to be built at Low Moss and West Lothian will be privately operated.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-11262, answered on 28 October 2004. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Prison Service

Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) full-time and (b) part-time prison officers there were at HM Prison Castle Huntly in each of the last five years and what the turnover of prison officers was in each year.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  

As at 31 March


2000
2001
2002
2003
2004


(A)
(B)
(A)
(B)
(A)
(B)
(A)
(B)
(A)
(B)


36
0
33
0
35
0
35
0
33
0


Turnover
6.5%
Turnover
0%
Turnover
0%
Turnover
0%
Turnover
6%

Prison Service

Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the (a) recommended and (b) actual maximum number of inmates has been at HM Prison Castle Huntly in each month since 1999.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  Not all information requested is available. There is no recommended number of prisoners. The following table gives the maximum population for Castle Huntly in the past five years:

  

Year
Average Daily Population
Maximum Population


1999-2000
117
142


2000-01
135
150


2001-02
136
152


2002-03
146
160


2003-04
153
160

Prison Service

Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-2596 by Cathy Jamieson on 26 September 2003, what action it takes to ensure that prisons are always sufficiently staffed in accordance with management assessments.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:

  The SPS Workforce Planning and Monitoring Group consisting of both management and trade union representatives meets regularly to consider staffing levels across establishments and any action required.

Regional Selective Assistance

Mr Bruce McFee (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average length of time is for offers of Regional Selective Assistance grants to be accepted.

Mr Jim Wallace: There are no records held on the average length of time taken for firms to accept Regional Selective Assistance (RSA) offers. Successful applicants are given three months to accept an RSA grant offer.

Renewable Energy

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will initiate a Scotland-wide assessment of renewable potential, taking into account the need to avoid damage to sensitive environmental areas.

Mr Jim Wallace: This assessment has already been undertaken. Scotland’s Renewable Resource 2001 , undertaken by Garrad Hassan on our behalf, identified a potential total renewables resource of 59.1 gigawatts of capacity, all of which was available outwith existing environmentally designated areas. This is many times more than we need to meet our current targets for renewable generation. The study can be found on the Scottish Executive website at:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/environment/SRS2001ExecSumm.pdf.

Renewable Energy

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will conduct a Scotland-wide assessment of transmission improvements to facilitate the strategic development of renewable energy.

Mr Jim Wallace: No. Transmission issues, other than consents, are reserved. However, the Executive discusses network infrastructure in relation to the UK renewables targets with all of the transmission companies through the aegis of the Transmission Issues Working Group (TIWG). The TIWG has identified the scale of transmission upgrades required for increased renewable generation in Scotland.

Renewable Energy

Shiona Baird (North East Scotland) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-11453 by Mr Jim Wallace on 10 November 2004, what the (a) output of all hydro schemes was prior to down-rating, (b) estimated output will be following down-rating and whether it will explain the statement that "down-rating does not necessarily mean that output will also reduce".

Mr Jim Wallace: Information is available only in respect of calendar years. In 2001, the last year before down-rating, the output of all hydro schemes, including pump storage, was 4,258 GWh. The figure for 2002, the last year for which information is available, is 5,077 GWh.

  Scottish and Southern Energy decided to down-rate a number of schemes and to use the income subsequently generated from Renewable Obligation Certificates to refurbish existing large hydro stations which might otherwise have ceased operating, thus retaining or increasing total hydro output. Actual total output over a year will of course depend on a number of factors, including the number of hours over which the schemes are operated and rainfall patterns.

Research

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of Scotland’s GDP it is targeting for research and development (R&D) spend by 2010, as defined in the Lisbon Agreement.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Lisbon Agreement set a target for 3% of GDP to be spent on R&D across all EU member States by 2010, with two thirds of this financed by business. The Executive does not have a specific 2010 target for R&D expenditure relative to GDP, but recognises the importance of R&D in both stimulating innovation and as an important source of economic growth. As such, the Executive has identified R&D as a key priority in its Framework for Economic Development in Scotland . The Executive is committed to increasing business expenditure on R&D relative to GDP in Scotland in order to close the gap with the OECD average, as set out in Building a Better Scotland - Spending Proposals 2005-2008 .

Research

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfied that the financial incentives available for attracting internationally-mobile research and development (R&D) projects to Scotland are competitive enough compared with those on offer from similar parts of the European Union.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Smart, Successful Scotland Strategy confirms our focus on targeting inward investment of a high value nature, including research and development (R&D) projects. Figures collected by Ernst & Young suggest that Scotland is succeeding in attracting more such projects than the UK and European averages. In 2003, more than 10% of the inward investment projects they recorded for Scotland had an R&D focus, against an average rate of just over 6% of projects both at UK and Europe-wide levels.

  The Scottish Executive and its agencies have developed a pipeline of public sector support mechanisms to assist all stages of the development process from idea generation to full-scale production. This includes a company support programme for which Scottish Enterprise has gained approval from the EU known as R&D Plus which is intended to encourage innovative research and technological development with global commercial potential in order to stimulate growth, strengthen competitiveness and sustainability in Scotland.

Residential Care

John Swinburne (Central Scotland) (SSCUP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to review the use of deferred payment agreements between care home residents and local authorities.

Rhona Brankin: Following a recent survey of use of deferred payment agreements, the Scottish Executive is currently considering whether adjustments to the scheme are necessary to ensure that it provides genuine options to those care home residents it was designed to assist.

Residential Care

Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when the National Review Group’s calculations on nursing and care home costs will next be reviewed and whether water charges will be included in the calculation and, if so, how.

Rhona Brankin: An increase in real terms will be applied to the revenue element of existing care home costs to take account of various pressures, including utility charges, from 1 April 2006.

Residential Care

Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what impact the exclusion of care and nursing homes from the water charges exemptions scheme will have on the pace of closure of care and nursing homes.

Rhona Brankin: None. We will invest an additional £37 million in 2006-07 and £57 million the following year to increase care home fees and reward those who provide the best quality care home services. This takes the total amount of additional funding for the care home sector to £234 million since 2001.

Scottish Executive

Ms Wendy Alexander (Paisley North) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether, as part of its Efficient Government Review, it intends to conduct a department by department review of the effectiveness of financial management parallelling that being undertaken by HM Treasury in the rest of the United Kingdom and, if so, what the timetable is.

Mr Tom McCabe: As a government department, the Scottish Executive currently has a unified finance function under a single finance director.

  Paragraph 35 of Building a Better Scotland: Efficient Government – Securing Efficiency, Effectiveness and Productivity states that we will undertake a review of the effectiveness of our financial management, in co-operation with the Treasury, in 2005. This will enable us to benchmark our performance against government departments elsewhere in the UK.

Scottish Executive

Ms Wendy Alexander (Paisley North) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether, as part of its Efficient Government programme, it will parallel the commitment in Sir Peter Gershon’s report, Releasing resources to the front line: Independent Review of Public Sector Efficiency , to ensure confidence and credibility in the planned efficiency measures by inviting Audit Scotland to scrutinise the efficiency technical notes before publication.

Mr Tom McCabe: The Scottish Executive will invite Audit Scotland to scrutinise the Efficiency Technical Notes before publication.

Scottish Executive Procurement

Frances Curran (West of Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much locally-grown produce is used in its canteen and restaurant facilities.

Mr Tom McCabe: Details’ regarding how much locally-grown produce is used in the Scottish Executive canteen and restaurant facilities are not available.

  Catering services and facilities within Scottish Executive buildings are operated under a contract with an external service provider. The contractor is required, when there is no difference in quality or price, to source food wherever possible, on a local basis.

Scottish Executive Procurement

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether its procurement policy for purchasing food for schools and other public sector establishments requires simplifying or streamlining; which consultants have been appointed to oversee the implementation of the policy and at what cost; whether it plans to carry out any consultations on the policy and, if so, at what estimated or planned cost, and what the remit of any such consultations will be.

Mr Tom McCabe: The fundamental aim of public sector procurement legislation and policy is to ensure that goods and services are purchased on the basis of fair competition and represent value for money. Buyers must satisfy themselves that specifications are justifiable in terms of need, cost effectiveness and affordability.

  The Executive does not buy food other than through its catering contractor. Major public sector food purchasers in Scotland are the NHS, schools (local authority) and Scottish Prison Service, who are responsible for their own purchasing decisions.

  The Executive has, however, published guidelines on food procurement which underline the need for those taking purchasing decisions to take full account of quality factors such as freshness, seasonality and relevant farm assurance standards.

  The Executive has also commissioned a research project which will:

  estimate the value of the public sector procurement market in Scotland,

  identify the incentives and constraints currently faced by the public sector in its purchasing decisions and

  discuss how any incentives enhanced and constraints overcome.

  The work is being carried out by DTZ Pieda and is a research project and not part of a public consultation. Liaison has therefore been with industry contracts and Executive policy colleagues. The project cost is in the region of £50,000

Scottish Water

Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to request the Auditor General for Scotland to carry out an investigation into the accuracy of the billing database maintained by Scottish Water.

Lewis Macdonald: We have no such plans.

Water Charges

Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive,  further to the statement by the Minister for Environment and Rural Development on 31 August 2004, whether it has any plans to revisit the scope, extent and timescale of the conditions which form part of the water charges exemptions scheme for voluntary and charitable organisations and, if so, whether it will make a statement on the issue.

Lewis Macdonald: The Executive has extended the duration of the exemption scheme until 2010, pending decisions on introducing of new arrangements for charging unmetered non-domestic customers of Scottish Water. As the scheme’s eligibility criteria continue to reflect its original objective, there are no plans to review them.